Psychology

Rationale

At The John Wallis Academy, we deliver a vast array of social sciences at sixth form which enable pupils to gain essential knowledge on how society functions before moving onto higher education or entering the world of work.

Through teacher delivery of a high-quality curriculum, students studying Psychology can expect to learn about complex and puzzling aspects of life, including why we behave how we do in a variety of social situations, how memory and forgetting works, why infants form attachment bonds with their parents, and how mental illnesses affect our daily lives and come to be diagnosed, as well as the research methods undertaken by psychologists to investigate these phenomena. Study skills garnered throughout the two-year course include discussion and debating abilities, analytical essay writing and mathematical/scientific problem solving which are all transferable to next steps that pupils will go onto.

Aims

The John Wallis Church of England Psychology curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop conceptual understanding of various topics relating to the human mind and behaviour, including: social influence, memory, attachment, psychopathology, approaches in Psychology, biopsychology, research methods, issues & debates, relationships, schizophrenia & forensics

• understand how social and academic perceptions of the mind and behaviour have transitioned over time and culture, for example the shift in social norms

• possess a grounded understanding of the underpinning scientific principles of the subject such as ‘introspection’, ‘falsification’, ‘empiricism’, ‘quantitative’, ‘qualitative’ and ‘operationalisation’

• understand the research methods used to investigate the mind and behaviour, including experiments, observations, questionnaires, interviews and more

• can forge synoptic connections between and within topics to maximise potential for mastery learning

Curricular-related pupil experiences

Talks & webinars hosted by renowned psychologists

Tutor2u Strong Foundations workshop

STEM events in conjunction with Benenden

Independent research project

Sociology

Rationale

At The John Wallis Academy, we deliver a vast array of social sciences at sixth form which enable pupils to gain essential knowledge on how society functions before moving onto higher education or entering the world of work.

Through teacher delivery of a high-quality curriculum, students studying Sociology can expect to learn about various facets of society, including the education system, the family unit, religious institutions and the criminal justice system, as well as the research process undertaken by sociologists to explore these phenomena. Study skills garnered throughout the two-year course include discussion and debating abilities, analytical essay writing and scientific problem solving which are all transferable to next steps that pupils will go onto.

Aims

The John Wallis Church of England Psychology curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop conceptual understanding of various topics relating to the functioning of society, including: education, families & households, beliefs in society, crime & deviance, and theory & methods

• understand how social and academic perceptions of society and it’s functions have changed over time and culture, for example the shift from pre- to post-industrial society

• possess a grounded understanding of the underpinning scientific principles of the subject such as ‘value freedom’, ‘falsification’, ‘paradigm shift’, ‘quantitative’, ‘qualitative’ and ‘social fact vs construction’

• understand the research methods used to investigate how society operates (with a particular emphasis on the education system), including experiments, observations, questionnaires, interviews, official statistics and documents

• can forge synoptic connections between and within topics to maximise

Curricular-related pupil experiences

Talks & webinars hosted by renowned sociologists

Tutor2u Strong Foundations workshop

Independent research project

Criminology

Rationale

At The John Wallis Academy, we deliver a vast array of social sciences at sixth form which enable pupils to gain essential knowledge on how society functions before moving onto higher education or entering the world of work.

Through teacher delivery of a high-quality curriculum, students studying Criminology can expect to learn about the intricacies of criminality and forensic work, including why people commit crime, how the criminal justice system deals with offending behaviour, how crime can be prevented through campaigns (which forms the practical coursework element), as well as how forensic investigation works. Study skills garnered throughout the two-year course include discussion and debating abilities, analytical essay writing and practical problem solving which are all transferable to next steps that pupils will go onto.

Aims

The John Wallis Church of England Psychology curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop conceptual understanding of various topics relating to criminal behaviour and investigation, including: changing awareness of crime, criminological theories, crime scene to courtroom & crime and punishment.

• understand how academic theories of crime as well as investigative methods have evolved over time

• understand the current preventative measures and investigative methods used in the world of criminal justice and forensics

• can forge synoptic connections between and within topics to maximise potential for mastery learning

Curricular-related pupil experiences

Talks & webinars hosted by renowned criminologists

STEM events in conjunction with Benenden

Independent crime prevention project